“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart“– Hebrews 4:12
Notice first that the Word of God is quick, or alive. It always is (present tense) alive. God’s Word will always be true; it is alive forever. And therefore God’s Word is always relevant, never just a dead carcass, a used up and empty vessel from the past. It is the living, breathing truth of God. And, as Psalm 100:5 extols, “His truth endures to all generations.”
The Word of God is also powerful. It is, in other words, energetic. It is not only living, but energetically efficacious. God’s Word, Paul tells us, “is the power of God unto salvation” to every one that believes (Romans 1:16). Have you ever felt the moving, slicing, energetic operation of God’s Word on your heart as you read, or listened to, or meditated on its truth? If so, then you know the kinetic power of God’s Word to reach and melt and prick the heart.
But it is here compared to a sword—and elsewhere called a sword (Ephesians 6:17). Why do we need a sword? Because we are in a war. We daily battle, whether courageously or pathetically, the ever-present foes of sin, self, and Satan. We need the spiritual power of God’s Word to strengthen us and fight for us against these foes.
Finally, God’s Word is called a discerner. The truth of God’s Word sifts through and analyzes the myriad of ideas, aspirations, and desires with which we are enticed and, as a qualified and a skilled judge, discerns truth from error, good from bad. It is a wise weapon!
Do you feel the need today for the energetic, discerning work of God’s Word upon your heart, directing your ways? The question is asked in Jeremiah 17:9, of the deceptive human heart, “who can know it?” The answer from Hebrews is: “the Word of God can.”—Baptist Bible Hour
